Dargo
Like a bad penny...
If needed, I'll post the bills and contract here for proof. However, I'll just give the "Reader's Digest" version to start.
November 30th, 2013 my son broke his iPhone 4 because he forgot it was in his pocked while doing some PT. No problem. He broke it, so he was going to go buy a new iPhone 4 at AT&T. I asked him how much it would cost, and he told me he was quoted "$400 and something". I told him that my number was eligible for a discounted upgrade and he was welcome to use that so he could get a newer model for less money.
We go into our local AT&T store and he is told that a 32gb iPhone 5 will be $300. Cool, he saves $100 and gets a newer phone with 32gb of memory instead of 16gb in an iPhone 4. Since I had an iPhone 5 with 64gb in my pocket, I ask how much more for a 5s with 64gb. We are told another $100. I ask my son if he would rather have my iPhone 5 with 64 gb of memory for $300 and I'd pay the extra $100 and get the iPhone 5s with 64gb of memory. It didn't matter to me since my iPhone 5 was only a few months old. He quickly said he would strongly prefer to have the the iPhone 5 with 64gb of memory.
I pay the $100, which my son ended up saying he would just pocket and charge the additional amount on his debit card since he needed some cash. No problem. He signs a 2 year contract, required for the discounted price on the iPhone 5s we picked up, (and my line is not eligible for a discounted upgrade for 2 more years) and we are out the door. No problem, right? Wrong!
Yesterday when his bill came it included an additional charge of $37 for an "installment" payment on new equipment with 20 additional $37 payments due!! So, his upgrade literally cost $400 upfront and an additional $740 over the next two years!!
I figure it was just another (AT&T overcharges on our bill almost every single month and I have to get them to take off 'mystery' charges) screw up by AT&T and I'd call to get it corrected. I called the number on the bill for billing questions. The AT&T rep, within a minute, said "Oh, I see the problem; your local store applied the $400 payment made for equipment as an advanced payment on the monthly service. So, there is a $400 credit, but you are now being charged the full $740 price for the upgrade besides signing an additional 2 year contract. That's wrong because it costs you an additional $340".
Okay, great. In less than a minute the AT&T rep sees exactly what happened and what caused the problem. No big deal, right? Wrong! The AT&T rep, after speaking to their supervisor, says "I'm really sorry sir, but you will need to go into that same AT&T store to get the error corrected". Well, piss! Now I have to waste another hour (I thought) of my time because of their error. So, I head off to AT&T.
Once I get to the store I just ask for the store manager so I don't have to explain the same story twice. After I tell him what happened, he immediately said, and I quote, "No, you and your son directed my employee to make an advanced payment on the bill and asked for the phone on the installment plan which." WTF?! Is this guy just a bit slow or what? Who in the hell goes into a cell phone store and pays $400 in advance for their bill, and pays for the bill when it arrives just for the heck of it?! I calmly tell him that he somehow doesn't understand what I'm telling him and it's likely because I didn't explain it so he could properly understand the matter. He then tells me "No! You are mistaken. Everything is right", and then tells me that he will go get copies of the bill to show me. Whatever. Although I'm wasting more of my time, at least I will be able to show this half-wit who runs the AT&T store.
When he brings out his printout, it gets worse! I then am told that there was a $50 fee charged to be put on the installment plan!! Holy hell, this is now becoming a problem besides wasting my time! I again try to use simple reason with him and ask him why would any customer come in and pay the exact amount for a new device with a 2 year contract, sign a 2 year contract, if they wanted to pay what amounts to be (now with the extra $50 charge) $790 for the device in installments? Instead of seeing the clear mistake, he tells me "I have no idea why your son wanted to do that. We just did what he wanted".
Okay, now I'm getting pissed! I explained to the stupid SOB that I was there the entire time and no installment plan was ever discussed and, if it was even brought up, neither of us would have EVER agreed to pay $790 for a phone and pay $400 for a bill in advance and sign a 2 year contract!
After this manager kept disappearing into the back room for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes at a time, I finally told him that 1) I was not going to waste any additional time standing at that store, 2) I was there and neither my son nor I ever agreed to make installment payments on a device and an installment plan was never even mentioned and, 3) I would just have to speak with someone else to get this matter resolved; and I left the AT&T store.
After I finished work for the day, I called AT&T and spoke with a representative named Rachael Quinn, representative ID RQ7211. With what she was able to pull up from her end, before I even told her anything, she stated "Oh, I'm sorry. I see what the problem is. You paid the exact amount for an upgrade, for which your line qualified and, for some reason, your local AT&T store applied the money you paid, less $50 for the installment plan fee, towards the bill and put you on an installment plan of twenty one $37 payments. I have no idea why they did that. Please hold for a moment while I get my supervisor to correct the problem".
The entire time I was on the phone, Rachael popped back on the line every 5 minutes or so to assure me that she was working on getting things fixed and that I wasn't on an endless hold. Eventually, a very frustrated Rachael told me that, much to her surprise, nobody at AT&T could fix the problem and that my local store had to fix it. I told her that the manager at my local store, for some reason, couldn't understand the problem. She replied that it is so easy to see that she couldn't believe that any representative, let alone a store manager, could not see the error. She then offered to call the store right then if I didn't mind holding. Obviously I opted to hold. She came back on the line shortly and informed me that my local store had already closed.
She tried again to get a supervisor where she was to correct the problem with no success. She then, while confirming everything with me, said that she would file an escalated case, give me the case number, and have someone get the matter resolved. I would just need to go back to the store with my son next week (hopefully that soon) and get things resolved. I explained that it would not be possible for my son to return with me because he would be deployed in the Middle East. So, she yet again tried to get the matter resolved but was unable to do so.
So I've now wasted over 5 hours between the hold time and the time it took to first try to get the error resolved over the phone, wasting 2 1/2 hours at my local store and spending well over an hour with a very frustrated, but very helpful, AT&T rep on the phone last night. I am completely and totally baffled as to why AT&T corporate tells me that they cannot correct an obvious error made by one of their local store's employees. I just flat do not believe that AT&T has zero power to correct mistakes made by their stores; even when a corporate representative completely understands exactly what the mistake is! The local store representative who completely screwed things looked at me (but not in the eyes) and told his store manager that my son and I directed him to put us on their installment plan and put, what happens to be the exact amount the upgrade would have cost, the money my son paid them as an advance on the bill. All I could do is ask him "Why are you lying? You know damn well you are lying and it literally amounts to you stealing $390 from an active duty service member". He just walked into the locked back room.
What in the HELL is wrong with AT&T?!! I will be extremely pissed if the very helpful AT&T representative, Rachael Quinn, is reprimanded for doing everything she could to correct an obvious error. She was dumbfounded that her supervisors could not do anything to try to stop a local AT&T store from clearly stealing $390 from an active US service member! Perhaps AT&T could learn from General Motors that no company is too big to survive when they totally screw their customer base and, in this case, literally steal from them!
November 30th, 2013 my son broke his iPhone 4 because he forgot it was in his pocked while doing some PT. No problem. He broke it, so he was going to go buy a new iPhone 4 at AT&T. I asked him how much it would cost, and he told me he was quoted "$400 and something". I told him that my number was eligible for a discounted upgrade and he was welcome to use that so he could get a newer model for less money.
We go into our local AT&T store and he is told that a 32gb iPhone 5 will be $300. Cool, he saves $100 and gets a newer phone with 32gb of memory instead of 16gb in an iPhone 4. Since I had an iPhone 5 with 64gb in my pocket, I ask how much more for a 5s with 64gb. We are told another $100. I ask my son if he would rather have my iPhone 5 with 64 gb of memory for $300 and I'd pay the extra $100 and get the iPhone 5s with 64gb of memory. It didn't matter to me since my iPhone 5 was only a few months old. He quickly said he would strongly prefer to have the the iPhone 5 with 64gb of memory.
I pay the $100, which my son ended up saying he would just pocket and charge the additional amount on his debit card since he needed some cash. No problem. He signs a 2 year contract, required for the discounted price on the iPhone 5s we picked up, (and my line is not eligible for a discounted upgrade for 2 more years) and we are out the door. No problem, right? Wrong!
Yesterday when his bill came it included an additional charge of $37 for an "installment" payment on new equipment with 20 additional $37 payments due!! So, his upgrade literally cost $400 upfront and an additional $740 over the next two years!!
I figure it was just another (AT&T overcharges on our bill almost every single month and I have to get them to take off 'mystery' charges) screw up by AT&T and I'd call to get it corrected. I called the number on the bill for billing questions. The AT&T rep, within a minute, said "Oh, I see the problem; your local store applied the $400 payment made for equipment as an advanced payment on the monthly service. So, there is a $400 credit, but you are now being charged the full $740 price for the upgrade besides signing an additional 2 year contract. That's wrong because it costs you an additional $340".
Okay, great. In less than a minute the AT&T rep sees exactly what happened and what caused the problem. No big deal, right? Wrong! The AT&T rep, after speaking to their supervisor, says "I'm really sorry sir, but you will need to go into that same AT&T store to get the error corrected". Well, piss! Now I have to waste another hour (I thought) of my time because of their error. So, I head off to AT&T.
Once I get to the store I just ask for the store manager so I don't have to explain the same story twice. After I tell him what happened, he immediately said, and I quote, "No, you and your son directed my employee to make an advanced payment on the bill and asked for the phone on the installment plan which." WTF?! Is this guy just a bit slow or what? Who in the hell goes into a cell phone store and pays $400 in advance for their bill, and pays for the bill when it arrives just for the heck of it?! I calmly tell him that he somehow doesn't understand what I'm telling him and it's likely because I didn't explain it so he could properly understand the matter. He then tells me "No! You are mistaken. Everything is right", and then tells me that he will go get copies of the bill to show me. Whatever. Although I'm wasting more of my time, at least I will be able to show this half-wit who runs the AT&T store.
When he brings out his printout, it gets worse! I then am told that there was a $50 fee charged to be put on the installment plan!! Holy hell, this is now becoming a problem besides wasting my time! I again try to use simple reason with him and ask him why would any customer come in and pay the exact amount for a new device with a 2 year contract, sign a 2 year contract, if they wanted to pay what amounts to be (now with the extra $50 charge) $790 for the device in installments? Instead of seeing the clear mistake, he tells me "I have no idea why your son wanted to do that. We just did what he wanted".
Okay, now I'm getting pissed! I explained to the stupid SOB that I was there the entire time and no installment plan was ever discussed and, if it was even brought up, neither of us would have EVER agreed to pay $790 for a phone and pay $400 for a bill in advance and sign a 2 year contract!After this manager kept disappearing into the back room for 1/2 an hour to 45 minutes at a time, I finally told him that 1) I was not going to waste any additional time standing at that store, 2) I was there and neither my son nor I ever agreed to make installment payments on a device and an installment plan was never even mentioned and, 3) I would just have to speak with someone else to get this matter resolved; and I left the AT&T store.
After I finished work for the day, I called AT&T and spoke with a representative named Rachael Quinn, representative ID RQ7211. With what she was able to pull up from her end, before I even told her anything, she stated "Oh, I'm sorry. I see what the problem is. You paid the exact amount for an upgrade, for which your line qualified and, for some reason, your local AT&T store applied the money you paid, less $50 for the installment plan fee, towards the bill and put you on an installment plan of twenty one $37 payments. I have no idea why they did that. Please hold for a moment while I get my supervisor to correct the problem".
The entire time I was on the phone, Rachael popped back on the line every 5 minutes or so to assure me that she was working on getting things fixed and that I wasn't on an endless hold. Eventually, a very frustrated Rachael told me that, much to her surprise, nobody at AT&T could fix the problem and that my local store had to fix it. I told her that the manager at my local store, for some reason, couldn't understand the problem. She replied that it is so easy to see that she couldn't believe that any representative, let alone a store manager, could not see the error. She then offered to call the store right then if I didn't mind holding. Obviously I opted to hold. She came back on the line shortly and informed me that my local store had already closed.
She tried again to get a supervisor where she was to correct the problem with no success. She then, while confirming everything with me, said that she would file an escalated case, give me the case number, and have someone get the matter resolved. I would just need to go back to the store with my son next week (hopefully that soon) and get things resolved. I explained that it would not be possible for my son to return with me because he would be deployed in the Middle East. So, she yet again tried to get the matter resolved but was unable to do so.
So I've now wasted over 5 hours between the hold time and the time it took to first try to get the error resolved over the phone, wasting 2 1/2 hours at my local store and spending well over an hour with a very frustrated, but very helpful, AT&T rep on the phone last night. I am completely and totally baffled as to why AT&T corporate tells me that they cannot correct an obvious error made by one of their local store's employees. I just flat do not believe that AT&T has zero power to correct mistakes made by their stores; even when a corporate representative completely understands exactly what the mistake is! The local store representative who completely screwed things looked at me (but not in the eyes) and told his store manager that my son and I directed him to put us on their installment plan and put, what happens to be the exact amount the upgrade would have cost, the money my son paid them as an advance on the bill. All I could do is ask him "Why are you lying? You know damn well you are lying and it literally amounts to you stealing $390 from an active duty service member". He just walked into the locked back room.
What in the HELL is wrong with AT&T?!! I will be extremely pissed if the very helpful AT&T representative, Rachael Quinn, is reprimanded for doing everything she could to correct an obvious error. She was dumbfounded that her supervisors could not do anything to try to stop a local AT&T store from clearly stealing $390 from an active US service member! Perhaps AT&T could learn from General Motors that no company is too big to survive when they totally screw their customer base and, in this case, literally steal from them!